House-door letter-box



(No Model.)

J. VAN VALKENBURG.

HOUSE DOOR LBTTEB. BOX.

Patented Aug. 4,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE,

JEROME VAN VALKENBURG, OF .CROOKED LAKE, MIOHIGAN.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,972, dated August 4, 1891.

Application filed August 21, 1890. Serial No. 362,679. (No model.)

T0 00ZZ whom it may concern:

Be t known that I, J EROME VAN VALKEN- BURG, a citzen of the United States, residing at Crooked Leke, in the county of Clare and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and. useful Improvements in Ohenge-Gates for Doors 01 Windows; and. I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrption of the inventon, such as wll e11- able others skilled in the art to which it appertains '00 make and nse the same.

The special object of the invention is to make a mail-receiver which rnay be conveniently attached to any door er box for the reception of mail matter.

The invention consists of two metallic frames each provided with a cover, hingecl at the top, so as to close flush with the frame,

the onter cover opening inwardly and the other outwardly, so that the former will open the letter, vvhile each Will close by gravity or uncler the action of a spring.

Fignre 1 of the drcwings is en elevetion showng the door attachment on the outside; Fig. 2, a similer view showing t11e inside of my door attachment, and Fig. 3 a vertical oross-section. Fig. al is d cross-section of one of the facings.

In the clrawings, A represents 1 door in which is made a out-out or snitable aperture a, through which any ordinary mail-matter 1nay pass without dfficulty. Aronnd this aperture, en each side of the door, I attach by sc rews or otherwise the metallic facings B B. In the outer facing B and at the top thereof I hinge the cover O, which has an Outer bevel 0 on its botton1 erlge to fit en inside bevel 1) on the facing B. By this construction the door C can only open on the inside, while the bevels b c on the inner facing B and cover C being reversed, the door 0 can only open on the outside.

A nnnnber or other designation may be placed on the outer cover C, and also a projection D, by Which it may be more conveniently manipulated. I preferably use a hingepntle E, which is made fast in the lugs c 0 on the covers end. journaled in the lugs b 12 of the facings B B, the sad lngs being of course on the under sides. The covers C C will natnrally fallbygravty nto ther seats in the facings as S0011} as the force which 0pens the outer cover is removed; but I may nse the coil-spring F, with arm f, to make them fit. I rnay make the covers C C with rabbets, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

I am aware that it is not new to make changegates with meshing racks to move sim ultaneously in opposite directions, bul:

What I claim as new end of my nvention 1s* The covers or 1ids C O, similarly beveled at 0 c, lont reversely beveled with respect to the sides of the facings B B and hinged thereto, in combination with a door cut 0ut at a, whereby said covers 1nay alweys move in the same drection and the outer gate push the inner one open, as descrloed.

In testimony whereof I have affixed n1y slg nature in presence of two witnesses.

JEROME VAN VALKENBURG.

IVtnesses:

NATHANIEL D. VVATKINS, JOHN MCKERRACHER. 

